A.A.R.M. Q&A with David Rogers

David: Hands down the most emotional scene was when Jim gave Pam the card from the teapot. The cast and the crew were emotional for what was happening within the scene, and what it meant to all of us who had worked together for so long; that it was signaling that we were near the end of our adventures at Dunder Mifflin.

tanster: What can we expect in the way of deleted scenes or bloopers from this episode?

David: There are no deleted scenes that I wish could have been included in the final cut. But there is a cute, funny B-story between Toby and Nellie that will live on as a great pod of deleted scenes. There are a couple of funny bloopers from this episode that should make the blooper reel, but it’s hard to know until they’re all culled together and we see what’s really the best of the season.

Brooke: Is the documentary supposed to be only one episode or a series?

David: The documentary isn’t completely finished. It is a mini-series on PBS, probably 10 to 12 hours and I believe the last episode of the doc would feature them seeing the doc and capturing how they react, hence why they’re still shooting.

remember to call: What do you think about “Livin’ the Dream” and “A.A.R.M.” both ending with musical numbers/goodbyes (Andy in the former, Darryl in the latter)?

David: I loved Andy’s version of “I Will Remember You” in Livin’ The Dream, for what it brought emotionally and also since people had been doubting his talent and chances of success, and then he shows them that he can play guitar and sing pretty damn good!

The dance number with Darryl didn’t really end the show, since it was followed with the proposal and the watching of the doc, but I just loved how much fun it was for the Office to dance with Darryl, and also how much fun the cast had in working out their moves and bringing it all together. Everybody is having a great time — just look at Phyllis and Leslie and Catherine!

Slumdunder Mifflinaire: What challenges are faced when trying to make sure all the plots and questions are answered in these final episodes, ones that may have been unanswered for years?

David: I don’t think there are any questions that are unanswered. It’s not like this is “Lost” or “Smallville” where you’re wondering “what’s the black smoke?” or “will he ever fly?”

What questions do people have that they feel are unanswered? I’m just curious. To me the curiosity is with the ending of any series, which simply is “how’s it going to end?”

And for people who are wondering who the Scranton Strangler is — he’s just some guy, we gave his name George Howard Skubb I believe, and he has no direct connection to our gang at Dunder Mifflin.

Katie Drewes: Which scene was directed/filmed most differently than the way the script had been written? Why?

David: I will say that one of the smartest things I did on this shoot was to move the obstacle course from its original location, which was supposed to be in the parking lot.

I did it for two reasons. One is that I remember shooting many scenes out there, such as all day on “The Fire” and let me tell you — it gets really, really hot in that open space when the sun is beating down on you. Hard on the actors and the crew and hurts the comedy on a physical scene when everybody’s really uncomfortable.

Okay, and I’m a mess now after reading about John writing the note to Jenna that made her react like that! Absolutely the best Q & A ever – can we get a special edition box set of all 9 seasons with Dave doing audio commentary for every episode?!

The best Q&A ever! This was fascinating, fun to read and informative. I love how much care and thought and detail are put into these amazing episodes. I’m going to miss this show and all the talented people who work on it. Thank you David Rogers and Office Tally!

My unanswered question has always been… who is the father of Jan’s baby? It always seemed to me that she had some extra knowledge when she told people she went to the sperm bank. My theory is that Astrid is really Hunter’s, OR… Jan picked out Kevin from the sperm bank donor book.

The information about the card made me happy. It’s like the hug and the “Thank you” was not only between Jim and Pam, but a genuine moment between John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, which just makes it awesome.

Jan got an anonymous donation from a donor bank. The only way to know if Kevin was the father would be to do a genetic test with him….but why would Jan ever do that?! It wouldn’t make any sense to reveal a father.

Thank you so much for the awesome insight, David! And thanks for the organization of this Q and A, Tanster! You’re both so great. And as always, even more obsessed with JAM after reading about this private card. Can they get any more perfect?!

Wow. Great Q&A! Thanks so much for answering my question. I actually forgot that Dwight had used a dirty diaper for the DNA test. I’m also glad that the content of the card won’t be revealed…it’s much better that way.

Thank you David, it was a very informative and moving Q&A. Glad you contributed to the show.

@ash
Some things, like the card from Jim to Pam, are better left unexplained. And I’m glad they never addressed that.
The common guess for Toby is that, Toby being HR, he didn’t answer to Michael Scott, wasn’t compelled to take part in his charades and may have transmitted over the years reports and complaints to the headquarters, as he was supposed to do.
Anyway, Dwight did fire Toby in the finale, something Michael could never do. Either David Wallace changed the rules, or he approved first Dwight’s request for undisclosed reasons (Toby not reporting that Andy was missing?)
And it still made it more effective that Michael’s hatred for Toby is so irrational. If there had been a concrete reason for it, we would have linked Michael’s behavior with the original incident. Without explanation, it was even more childish and effective.

I thought the misspellings of Pam’s last name were addressed in a commentary from one of the Niagara episodes. They said that at the rehearsal dinner, on the sign outside of the door, beesley was spelled wrong on purpose.listen to commentary though